Nyeesheshtu is the winged serpent, high holy one of the Ophidian Hegemony, from the Age of Upheaval. Though the time of the snake-people has passed, Nyeesheshtu abides patiently, until it is time for them to return. Eventually, fate will turn and the ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty’ of the lesser races will diminish and they will again be brought under the unblinking eye of the Ophidians.

Vassals of Nyeesheshtua gain the following favors and drawbacks.

Tongue of the Serpent A vassal with 2 favor gains the ability to speak with and understand serpents, and gains advantage on Deception and Persuasion checks, Detection checks when taste or smell are involved, and Animal Lore checks when dealing with snakes. The vassal’s tongue is, of course, rather longer than normal and bifurcated, and the vassal speaks with a pronounced lisp and draws out sibilant syllables.

Serpent’s Tooth A vassal with 6 favor grows fangs — not always visible; like a snake’s fangs they can rest along the roof of the mouth — and a bite attack (as that of a Hraarsk: 1d4 damage and drain 1 Will, Luck (Con) save resists; on a natural 19 the target is briefly hypnotized and loses their next action, Luck (Will) save resists). Fangs can be spotted by others even when not used (Detection check; with disadvantage when not specifically looking for oddities) and poison must be expressed three times per day (either by biting a target and injecting it, or ‘milking’ the glands, which takes several minutes; the venom is rendered inert almost immediately after being milked).

Wings of the Serpent A vassal with 10 favor can spend a point of favor to take to the air, as the Righteous Ascension spell, and using the Athletics skill for any necessary flight-related checks. If the Dark and Dangerous Magic check fails, the vassal is afflicted as by Sudden Transmogrification with no save, turning into a giant serpent for the duration. A vassal with 10 favor may change the special effect of the Serpent’s Tooth venom to inflict Malediction of Lunacy, rolling the effect each minute until a successful Luck (Will) save).

Notes

Drives are:

Support Person or Group The Ophidian Hegemony, of course.

Promote Condition Preeminence of the Hegemony

Oppose Ideal Freewill, liberty, freedom… all are foolish dreams of those fated to submit to the People of the Snake